Eureka! We've done it AGAIN?
by Psychodog
Summary: [Mistywell, Clirage, Alnel and a small hint o' Alphia!] Sequel to Eureka I got it! Mackwell and Lear are having a settled life, but the day of Apris is coming and some sort of tragedy is coming for our two lovers. Someone Misty Lear hoped to forget. HUMOR
1. Day of Apris

**_Eureka! We've done it... Again!_**

_"I honestly believed we would be together... sadly that was a fading dream. All dreams end, even if you dont want them to go away. We've come back... but now... I sometimes wish we haven't." -Misty Lear _

_Author: Psychodog_

_Rated T... ummm I dunno why, but it just is! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean, or the Inventors... I don't even own the duck duck bomb... _

Pairings: Mackwell/Misty Lear (main)

Support pairings: Lias/Stanice, Aqua/Michell

* * *

**_Introduction_**

Ok, Psychodog has lost her marbles. Since not many people liked the ending of **_Eureka I got it,_** I shall attempt another Inventor fic! This is the Sequel to the first... more tragedy, humor and nonsense! Not to mention Misty lear and Mackwell fluff!

_**What happened thus far:**_

Mackwell, the unsociable Alchemist has fallen in love with Misty Lear. At first it was mere admiration but after a strange rescue mission, Mackwell not only learned to open up more, but began to value life in a new view. Gaining much support from other inventors, Mackwell hoped to settle down and return his life back to normal... but this can't be guarenteed. Love is precious, but it is also extremely fragile...

* * *

_**Characters in this chapter  
**_

**_Mackwell_**- The Alchemist prodigy himself, he was unsociable and undeniably hardworking. His intelligence rivals his dilligence and as of now, he is the star of our show. Once very cold, he is admired by many, and soon began to warm up to the lonely Misty Lear. Mackwell also helped build the thunder arrow, if not for his research on channeled energy, Aquaria would probably be no more. He was a student of Elena, and he is also a talented runologist. Keep in mind he is also a foreign exchange student.

**_Misty Lear_**- The Pale, beautiful and talented Alchemist. Misty Lear is from a foreign tribe, and earning the title "Misty" which is given to the most talented Alchemist. She is kind and delicate, but aside from her lonely existance she shows her strength through hard times. Misty lear was divorced and her child died not long after... She finds herself falling in love with Mackwell and living in his home.

**_Eliza_**- A young Alchemist who works hard to learn runology as well as earn enough money for her brother. They are orphans, and despite Eliza's bubbly nature, she is clumsy in her work. Nonetheless she is high spirited and hardworking. Eliza is taking private lessons from mackwell in this fic, and she too had a small innocent crush on Mackwell. She then supported Lear and Mackwell's relationship.

* * *

_** Chapter I: Day of Apris**_

_**Act I: Preparations and Stress **_

Eliza listened keenly to Mackwell's lecture... everything he teaches was so clear and easy to understand. Everything he taught was broken down so even a young girl like Eliza would understand. She found it funny, from all those times she read the runology books she barely understood anything. It was very complex, and difficult to understand. Eliza began to scribble down as much notes as possible... her mentor, Mackwell was a talented Alchemist and runologist. It was kind of scary... how Eliza noticed the dramatic changes in Mackwell. He was no longer cold and unsociable, he was still hardworking and determined, but now he was her teacher... for free too! It kind of made Eliza feel guilty, but Mackwell insisted.

He taught her the fundamental basics in runology and alchemy. They had lessons 5 times a week for two hours. This was a gift sent down by Apris! Eliza always wanted to learn runology, and now she got her wish! She still worked hard in the workshop to support her brother, but it seemed easier on her. Her parents died in the war, and she was all alone... But what made her really worried was Mackwell... the Alchemist was given double the load. He had his strict schedule again, and once again he worked harder in the workshop.

Eliza sat inside his living room, reading her books and listening to his lectures. When it was nice out, the lessons would be on the back porch, but today it was snowing so they sat beside the warm fire and drank hot tea and biscuits. On weekends she and her brother would visit Mackwell and Misty Lear... they were so nice all the time.

"Alright, lessons are over for today." Mackwell ceased writing on the small chalkboard. "You've been very focused lately, Eliza. I'm quite pleased."

Eliza smiled with glee, "Really? Thanks! I've been studying hard lately. Thank you for today's lesson, Mackwell."

"No problem." Mackwell nodded. He walked the small girl to the door. Eliza reached for her pair of gloves and coat which she buttoned over her sweater, Mackwell wrapped the long woolen skarf around the little girl's neck. "Be careful walking home, alright?" He patted the girl on the head, from outside they could hear the loud whistling of the cold winter wind.

"I'll be fine." Eliza then put on a grin, "By the way Mackwell, you-know-what is coming up! Do you have any special plans for you-know-who?" Of course Eliza was implying with the older Alchemist's new residence in his home. Also the one woman who Mackwell really felt... well... loved. Misty Lear.

"Yes, I do actually." A small smile appeared on Mackwell's face. "It won't be long now..."

"So now you and her are boyfriend and girlfriend." Eliza squealed in happiness, "It's so sweet! It really is, you two should just tie the knot right this minute!"

Mackwell ruffled the little girl's blonde hair. "Don't be silly, Eliza!" Small red stains appeared on Mackwell's pale ivory skin. "This isn't like a fairy tale."

"You never know." Eliza sang in a happy tone. "A week, only a week left till the Day Of Apris, do prepare something special, ok?" Eliza giggled, "We all know you two are more than just a lovey dovey couple." The small girl placed her satchel on her back and tucked her books under her arm, she waved goodbye to Mackwell as she disappeared down the streets of Aquios. Mackwell watched as she disappeared in the flurry of white.

Mackwell really did enjoy the young girl's company. She was very sweet. His Red and gold robes rippled in the icy wind... the grandfather clock chimed to 8:00 P.M. After Workshop hours and lessons, Mackwell was free for the night... mainly to feed his cats and prepare dinner. It was quite chilly in the house as well... all his cats were huddled in front of the warm embers. The Alchemist picked up today's mail... newspaper of the Peterny Newsletter, and a few letters. Love letters from his various admirers, and a letter from Janice Janine... she was planning on visiting Airyglyph (which is summer at the moment) for vacation. From the kitchen he could hear a soft clinking of Lear doing the dishes as well as the hissing of steam from her tea kettle.

Swiftly he walked up the staircase... today he felt tired. "I'm going to bed early today..." Mackwell mumbled.

"Alright." Misty Lear smiled, "You did have a hard day, rest easy tonight."

Mackwell merely nodded as he climbed up to his bedroom. He unbuttoned his shirt and removed his cloaks and robes. Quickly he slipped into his bed, gazing in the dark room... Day of Apris was coming up, the Winter Ball in a week... that also means the New Season ball two weeks from today. Mackwell hated those dances... he turned over in his sheets, facing the window. For a long time he began to think about what he was planning for Misty Lear. A surprise... just for her.

He rubbed his temple thoughtfully... so many things were happening lately. It was kind of stressfull. The bedroom was cold (they didn't have central heating systems in Elicoor!) After reading a few books, Mackwell dimmed the lights in the lantern by his bed post and was about to fall asleep. But he was interrupted, the door creaked open and Misty Lear stood by the door. Mackwell got up and rubbed his eyes...

"What's wrong? Is it too cold in your room?" Mackwell asked.

"Not really." Misty Lear walked into the room, her light footsteps entering the room. "I just thought it would be ok... if you had some company tonight."

Mackwell thought on it, and shrugged. Mackwell wore a white blouse and black pants to bed anyway, his casual clothes to bed. She slipped in his bed and placed the thick blanket on top of her. She covered the blanket over her eyes and began to shake... Mackwell noticing this, put his arms around her.

"I know... you still remember it don't you?" Mackwell felt her fearful shivering. She's been through hell, the whipping icy winds and cold room reminded her too well about the prison in which she was kept. "It's alright... I promise. I'm right here." She embraced him, her eyes shut tight. It was sad... too sad...

* * *

I hope everyone is prepared for some more tragedy and drama, there will be some more humor here and there but I cant be certain. I'm in a dreadful mood all of a sudden. (Must be the midterms) Anyway depending on my change of mood, it will either become an extreme tragedy or tragedy/humor. I hope for the second choice. Let's just hope I get my super happy mood back. I don't like being gloomy. 

So what do you guys think? Should psychodog continue writing the sequel? or stop right now? your choice. Its for the fans, afterall.


	2. You, me and a 50 foot wall

_**Eureka! We've done it again!**_

_I dub thee, the most random Star Ocean fic in the history of... POOP ON A STICK! -Psychodog_

_** Disclaimer: If I owned Star Ocean... I would be a happy child, a VERY happy child. **_

_Rated T for...I have no idea, actually._

_For all of you who love this pairing (cuz I know I do!) You're in luck! This sequel will delve deep in their relationship! But I won't reveal what relationship muehehe... (Insert evil laugh here)  
_

_

* * *

Characters: _

_Cliff Fitter- _That's right! Cliff is featured in this chapter! The super strengthed Klausian is here to enlighten us with his humor! Traveling with Fayt to save the universe, he and Mirage decide to take it easy for a bit on Elicoor.

_Mirage Kaos-_ A female Klausian, probably the ONLY female that could whip Cliff into shape. Intelligent, beautiful and downright powerful, Mirage decides to chill out on Elicoor for a short while with Cliff.

_Nel Zelpher_- Female Elicoorian and Crimson Blade of Aquaria. She helped out on Fayt's quest to save the galaxy as well as assist Mackwell in his search for Misty Lear. As of now, she is preparing for the day of Apris.

_Albel Nox_- Swordsman of Airyglyph, and quite possibly the most popular Star Ocean 3 character. He also helped Fayt's quest to save the galaxy and the hunt for Misty Lear... (I was actually NOT going to feature him, since he's too popular anyway, but I thought on it) He has a minor role in this story... as of now.

_Gusto_- Blacksmith specialist and a powerful man to boot. Gusto's mastery in the craft of weapons is top-notch. In this tale he plays as the comic relief. Currently, he is stationed in Peterny.

_Meryl and Vanilla_- Two skilled engineers, Vanilla is a rabbit that once lived in the Ursa lava caves, and Meryl is a girl from Greeton. Both were hired by Fayt, but now they're inseperable work buddies! Their specialty is Explosives... scary ones too.

* * *

**_Chapter II: You, me, and a 50 foot wall_**

_Act I: You... and her? and I'm a wha-?_

_Setting: Some random cafe in Peterny_

Cliff Fitter, the blonde haired, rowdy and somewhat carefree Klausian, sat back in his chair. Occasionally he took a sip of his hot coffee... something was on his mind. Everytime he breathed out, a puff of white vapors escaped his mouth... it was cold out. It was also snowing like no other. Large, fat snowflakes drifted down peterny in buckets! You could barely look outside without the snow impairing some part of your vision... This Klausian didn't mind the cold, it was alright, the snow was nothing TOO unbearable. The most that happened was he slipped on the ice underneath the coat of snow.

"Hrm..." Cliff frowned, "I don't get it."

"It's not that hard to understand, Cliff." Mirage responded with a small sigh. The female Klausian took a sip of her own mug of coffee, a smile on her face.

Along with our Klausian, Cliff were three others seated around the cafe table. Mirage, Cliff's partner was also with him. The other two were Nel and Albel. Why they were here, was sort of an odd story... which at the moment isn't very important. What was more important was the situation at hand.

"So... this _day of Apris_ is basically a day, sometime in the dead of winter, where you people worship your Sun God Apris and the goddess of the moon. Am I good so far?" Cliff asked.

"That's right." Nel replied. She was tired of explaining it to him.

"_And... _it's a day where you celebrate with all your friends and family?"

"Yes, that seems to be accurate." Mirage answered, taking a sip of her coffee.

"_And..._ we give presents and be nice to other people. Especially those who are special to you?"

"That's correct maggot." Albel replied coldly. The Swordsman was covered in a fur coat, holding the collar over his mouth... he hated the cold. It felt just like Airyglyphian winters, he hated the cold, he hated the snow, he hated almost everything about winter time. What he desired the most right now was to be sitting next to a nice hot fireplace to warm up... but being in the middle of Peterny, there was none around.

"Ok, I got it now." Cliff replied with a grin, "So basically it's like Christmas and a Valentine's day mixed together."

"Brilliant deduction, Cliff.." Mirage replied in a semi sarcastic tone.

"Sounds _**romantic**, eh Mirage?_" Cliff grinned as he nudged the klausian woman, "So how about you and me do something special for this day of Apris?"

"Err... well about that Cliff..." Mirage looked at Nel. "Umm..."

"This day is holy, and well celebrated on Elicoor, her majesty even throws a Royal ball just for the occasion." Nel replied, "Everyone around the country is invited..." she took a sip of her tea, "...Even Airyglyphians." Nel eyed Albel coldly for a few seconds, then continued sipping her tea. Albel merely glared back. The icy glares and cold shoulder routine was common between the two, especially after _'That Incident'. _Cliff shuddered at the thought... It was too traumatic to even think about.

"Come on you two, don't be so cold. It's cold enough out here, and its the holidays! Come on!" Cliff attempted to reconciliate the two, "Forgive and forget, forgive and forget."

"Well she won't forgive me either way!" Albel snapped.

"And you just won't forget will you?" Nel shot back.

"Maybe if you weren't such a stubborn woman, this wouldn't be so hard!" Albel hissed.

"Me? Stubborn? What does that make you? You pompous pig-headed moron!" Nel spat.

"You just did NOT call me what I thought you called me!" Albel growled. "Pompous? I dare you to say that again, _woman_."

"POMPOUS... PIG-HEADED... MORON..." Nel even said it nice and slow. "Do you want me to spell it out for you too?"

"You little Maggot!"

"Better a maggot then a jerk like you."

Both of them stuck their tongues out and with a swift '_hmph_' they turned away from each other. Cliff just stared... _wow... that was childish..._ he couldn't help but snicker a bit. Bad idea. Both Nel and Albel glared at him, their anger intensified... Cliff whimpered as he hid behind Mirage. Mirage quietly sipped her tea, patting the shaking Cliff behind the back.

"So cold..." Cliff muttered, "They're so cold..."

"Yes, yes, I know." Mirage replied soothingly.

"Save me, Mirage!" Cliff hugged Mirage's arm. "I don't want to die!"

"Now don't you think you're acting childish?" Mirage asked. She pushed the man back in his seat... this time she looked out at the thick snow that was falling from the heavens. The streets were still busy with people even when the snow was falling down so heavily. Children took their mother's hands as they walked down to the grocery, or the butcher shop. Old men smoked their pipes as they happily chatted with one another... Now that the war between Airyglyph and Aquaria was over, everything seemed peaceful.

"So who's invited to this ball?" Cliff asked in interest.

"Everybody! From peasants to nobles, everyone is invited during the day of Apris!" Nel replied excitedly, "We hold it at the palace, and even on the streets of Aquaria, everyone from all over gather for the occasion."

"Hey Mirage, let's go together." Cliff suggested with a smile. "I dunno, but for this holiday, you're the only girl I really want to go with, you know? No other girl will do this time. So how about it?"

"Cliff..." Mirage looked almost saddened. "About that... well..." She was the interrupted by a greeting from behind.

"Well, if it ain't my two of my favorite Smithing buddies!" A voice laughed, "Long time no see Albel! Cliff!"

All of their attention was then diverted to the guy behind them. Cliff jumped in surprise, it was GUSTO! The dark skinned, muscular and grinning Blacksmith waved. He was holding a bag of supplies in one hand, and his massive hammer in the other. On his shoulders were Meryl and Vanilla, they too waved.

"Oh no..." Albel groaned. "I'm leaving before I catch something... contagious... like maggot-ness." The swordsman got up and walked away, slicing the snow angrily with his sword. Cursing a few about the weather, Gusto didn't even want to ask about _his _day... So for once, the large blacksmith let him pass.

"What's with him?" Gusto asked.

"He's just being a pompous fool." Nel replied sourly. "Oh yeah, hello Gusto."

"Lady Nel... Lady Mirage." Gusto nodded at the two.

The two ladies nodded in response.

"Gusto, what are you doing here?" Cliff asked, laughing slightly. Gusto, Cliff, Albel and Lias would often work together on projects, also they were drinking buddies from time-to-time. If anything... Gusto had one heck of a sense of humor. Sometimes he could be very serious, and tough looking, but not all the time. Meryl and Vanilla hopped of his shoulder and with a nod they walked back to Peterny workshop.

"We're heading back, Gusto! thanks for the presents!" Meryl called.

"See ya later, Gusto!" Vanilla waved. "Happy Day of Apris!"

"Later, kids." Gusto waved back. The blacksmith then smiled. "Those kids, they're real fun to be with."

"So... what are you doing here again?" Cliff asked.

"Went shopping with the two kids. Gift shopping for Day of Apris." Gusto replied with a smile he lifted a bag full of stuff he was going to hand out to the other inventors.

"Was it fun? What'd you get them?" Cliff asked.

"Well... Meryl wanted this latest collection of tools that they were selling at the workshop... and Vanilla wanted to purchase these shiny, glowing rocks." Gusto replied... "Something called Plutonium or something... the other was called Uranium... All I know is that it was really shiny and pretty looking."

Mirage and Cliff stared at each other in almost horror... _Note to self: Do not go to Peterny workshop anytime soon_. Gusto sat where Albel was sitting before, he ordered himself a nice mug of beer. Even in the dead of winter, the guy failed to wear anykind of shirt for his upper body. It was almost as if he was impervious to cold weather, he merely brushed off the snow on his shoulders and neck.

"Isn't it... cold?" Nel asked. "You aren't wearing a shirt of any kind. Do you even know what a shirt is?"

"A shirt?" Gusto began to laugh, his voice echoing around the Center of town, "As if one could fit! They all rip! Time-to-time I wear a nice over coat, but I am like a blade, one that is finely polished, refined and trained! It can withstand even the greatest of blizzards and the hottest of Volcanoes!"

The three stared and shrugged... Gusto took a deep drink from his beer. Whiping the froth with the back of his hand. "Nothing like a nice warm drink on a cold winter day." he grinned, "Oh by the way, I'm really glad you agreed to attend it with me miss Kaos."

Cliff stared confused at Mirage and Gusto. What in the world were they talking about? The Klausian faced his fellow klausian in confusion. "Attend what? You going to do something for Gusto, Mirage?"

Mirage's face grew red as she began to crack her knuckles nervously... Gusto stared at the two.

"You didn't tell him yet?" Gusto asked.

"I was going to... but..." Mirage then looked at Cliff. The Klausian male merely stared... waiting for answered. "Cliff, I... I was going to tell you but..."

"Tell me what?" Cliff asked his grip was so tight, his cup shattered into a million pieces on the table. Nel got up from her chair, looking around.

"Well, what do you know?" Nel smiled nervously, her voice fast and raspy. "Look at the time! I forgot I have to help Adray with... uhh... dinner! That's right, dinner! You know what kind of hungry beast Claire is! Tynave and Farleen gotta eat too! Gotta go!" Nel bolted out of the vicinity. She knew it would be trouble. Mirage told her but... she never knew that CLIFF didn't know! This won't be pretty at all... The Crimson haired Elicoorian just so happened to see Adray Lasbard walking down the street.

"Adray! Just the man I wanted to see!" Nel snatched Adray's arm before his usual greeting.

"Nel! How are ya- WAHHH?" The large Elicoorian warrior was then dragged by the arm by his own god-niece. "Nel, what's WRONG?"

"Cliff... Mirage... Gusto... ball..." Nel replied rushing away.

"_Oooh..._" Adray winced, "Yeah, that's pretty bad. That there is a problem..."

"We... go... cook dinner... quickly... now." Nel ran faster and disappeared out of Peterny. Getting as FAR away as remotely possible.

Anyway, back to Cliff, Mirage and Gusto. Gusto stared blankly... Cliff seemed to be growing _very angry. Furious even._ Gusto knew he had to clear this up... or else.

"Ah, I guess she really didn't tell you, Cliff." Gusto smiled nervously, "Might as well get it out, now huh? Mirage and I, well you see I asked her to the 'Day of Apris ball' a few weeks back, and she said yes." Gusto then cleared his throat, "She's my date for the-" His sentence was cut short as Cliff slammed his fist right into Gusto's face. The large blacksmith's cheek began to bleed... but he didn't budge. Normally, those smacked in the face by Cliff Fitter, would go flying... but Gusto's strength rivaled even Cliff's.

"Cliff!" Mirage stared in horror. "What in the...?"

"Shut up!" Cliff yelled.

All three of them were silent. Gusto brushed the blood off his cheek and the blood dripping from his mouth as well. The snow on the ground was stained with red droplets of blood. The blacksmith's face was dark... he only stared at the blood for a moment.

"Cliff..." He smiled, "That all you got?"

Angered, the Klausian almost jumped at the blacksmith, his fist aimed at his face once more. But this time, it was Mirage who stopped him. She grabbed his fist with her own, stopping him from savagely attacking Gusto. Cliff only glared angrily...

"Out of the way, Mirage."

"Stop now, Cliff. It's not Gusto's fault." Mirage replied, her face was serious.

"Out of the way Mirage!" Cliff yelled once more.

"No Cliff!" Mirage embraced him, holding him back with her own body. "Cliff... I'm really sorry. I really am." Mirage whispered. "It was my fault... I'm sorry. I didn't know you'd get so..."

"That's not it." Cliff pulled Mirage off. The Klausian then raised his face, revealing the tears in his eyes. "That's not it... what I'm angry about... is that you didn't tell me first. Why did you hide it from me?"

Both Gusto and Mirage were silent... it was true, it was reasonable for him to be angry that they kept it from him. I mean, they were close friends. It would make them feel terrible if they were left out as well. Gusto sat back on the table, he placed his elbow on the table and grinned.

"Come on Cliff, let's arm wrestle. Whoever wins gets to go with Mirage, sounds fair?"

Cliff shook his head, "No... it's fair already. You asked her first."

"But-! You didn't even know what the day of Apris was! Now, how is that fair?"

Cliff merely waved as he walked away... He punched gates and lamp posts on the way. Mirage and Gusto stared horror-struck. Their eyes fixed on the Klausian as he walked away, disappearing in the sea of white snow flakes. Gusto put his hand on Mirage's shoulder... As if it was cold and dreary inside their hearts too.

_To be Continued..._

* * *

Well since the prequel had NelxAlbel as the support pairing, I decided to make CliffxMirage to be the main support pairning for this sequel. Because frankly, Albel is too popular. I still love AlbelxNel, and this fic will have some too. But Albel in general just dominates fanfic. So less him and more CliffxMirage! Pretty shocking stuff, huh? Told you I was depressed xD. See how moody I get when I'm depressed? Not good... so much angsty stuff going on. 

Anyway, Next Chapter:

**_Chapter III: Have you seen her?_**

_Misty Lear and Mackwell Saga continues in NEXT CHAPTER! Stay in touch! XD_**_  
_**


	3. My Teacher and I

_ **Eureka****! We've done it AGAIN? ** _

"How could this happen? No calculation, no equation, no numbers or runes could explain how I felt. But now... It shattered like glass. Can it be that everything my mind comprehended was false? Or maybe... this is how it was meant to be." –Mackwell

_**Disclaimer: My, this is rather redundant...**_

_Rated T for EXTREME violence, the FOULEST of Language and CRAZY AMOUNT OF EXPLICIT AND SEXUAL contents! ... NOT! (If that was the case this would be like rated X)  
_

* * *

**_Introduction_**

I've decided to put an Introduction... don't ask why, I just felt like it. xD You can throw tomatoes at me some other time as of now... Let's get on with the next chapter! Why after so long? Because... I have no idea. Brain fart, perhaps... and the fact that I'm EXTREMELY lazy. That's right, LAZY! Anyway, back to important matters. I've decided not to put as much Albel, why? Because that skirt wearing swordsman has way too much popularity! Star Ocean is more than just ALBEL!

Some people have been questioning the Misty Lear and Mackwell pairing. Well... I've heard that Misty Lear is too OLD for Mackwell. _**BZZZZZZ!**_ Wrong Answer! I think this pairing is the best! Why? Because its believable. Maybe Misty Lear is older, but so what? Some guys like older women. And if she is older, than probably by only a few years, she looks young afterall. I mean, Albel and Sophia is possible, and how much older is Albel from Sophia? 7 years! Misty Lear and Mackwell forever!

I shall start a new Inventor's REVOLUTION! Ok now you guys want me to shut up and get on with the story. So here we go!

_**Characters in the Play**_

**_Rigel-_** A wealthy and beautiful noblewoman with a monstrous apetite for any delicacy and fine cuisine. When it comes to food she tends to be quite picky, making her the ideal chef. Afterall, pickiness is only a step away from perfection.

_**Mayu-**_ A young daydreamer, and a servant to the Kirlsa Training facility. She had a crush on Fayt Leingod but due to his ignorance, she got her revenge. Mayu may daydream during work hours, but she does her very best to create the greatest of foods. Together with Rigel and the killer chef, they are known as the 'Mad Chef Elites', Rigel as their food-tester, the Killer chef as the... cook... and Mayu for the nice cute touch to their masterpieces.

_**Killer Chef**_- As the name implies he's a chef... and a deadly one at that. This little green imp wields two large butcher knives and is considered a culinary genius... what he puts in his dishes is a mystery we may not want to solve... but hey, what the heck. His food rocks all the same!

* * *

_**Chapter III: My Teacher and I**_

_And the Pink Pot pie..._

**_Act I: Poor Eliza!  
_**

Setting: Aquios Workshop

_**NOTE! This chapter is... UNUSUALLY long! Mainly for MistyLear, Mackwell lovers and Eliza lovers! **_

Teacher and Student, teacher and student, pupil and instructor, pupil and instructor. One is the person who gives the information out, and the other is the one who receives the information. There's all kinds of teachers, boring teachers, old teachers, corny teachers, funny teachers, strict teachers and teachers that exist for the sole purpose of failing you. And then there are students, so many students. You have the class clown, the shy kid, the quiet kid, the mean kid, the bully, the wise ass, the popular kids, the kid who hates the world and lastly, the kids who would do everything in their existance to make the teacher lose their jobs. There are so many flavors of teachers, as they are students. But why the hell am I boring you with that stuff? Good question, I don't know either!

But the point is, Mackwell is Eliza's teacher. Mackwell was neither strict, nor evil, he wasn't corny and he wasn't very funny either. He rarely talked, but when he did, it was usually something very smart. Eliza liked Mackwell alot, he was not only good looking and intelligent but nice too. Kind of quiet, kind of busy, but the man always pushed everything out of his busy schedule to help Eliza when she needed him. Vice versa, Mackwell enjoyed the company of Eliza just as much as she did with him... though he never really shows it. The girl was smart, kind of clumsy but she was always really happy. To him, happiness was like the flu. _Uhh... not that you get sick from it_,_ and that it'll get you incapitated in your bed for a while_... but it has a tendency to spread.

And whether he liked it or not, her happiness brightened his mood. She was young, cheery and hardworking, something he really hoped most children today could grasp.

Normally, when you see a teacher in a place other than your school, it feels kind of awkward. One of the following reactions may occur...

**_1) _**_**You and your teacher completely ignore each other.**_ This is because, the teacher doesn't want to see you, and you don't want to see him/her. You both do what you do, and it's a win-win situation. Afterall, you both have your own lives outside of teaching/learning.

_**2) Your teacher comes up to you and starts a conversation.**_ You either attempt to ignore the teacher's constant rants, or you run away... mostly its the corny teachers/ funny teachers who actually want to talk to you. But it never hurts to talk about other things, teachers CAN be your friends. They are people, and hopefully you are too.

_**3) Your teacher will remind you of something from school.**_ Whether it be that detention you missed, or their congratulations on that exam, or possibly even help you with something you didn't understand in the lesson. Let's just hope that detention wasn't for you...

_**4) You hate that teacher OH-SO much that you decide to **__**pull a prank.**_ Hopefully this isn't you because once you get back in that classroom, you're stuck, and quite possibly, the teacher will return what you gave him/her.

**5) **_**You act polite**_. Teachers are your elders, so if you do see them, it would be good to be as polite as possible.

But this wasn't the case between Mackwell and Eliza. They actually spent time together outside of lessons. Whether it be working together in the workshop, or eating lunch over at his house, they remained the same way. They were friends. The other inventors were also amazed at how the two just happen to be together, of course Misty Lear is always with them too. When they invented something, it was always Misty Lear, Mackwell and Eliza. Some of the inventors even believed that Mackwell and Misty Lear were gonna tie the knot already and adopts Eliza and her kid brother.

It was a sunday afternoon, and for once, it was actually quite sunny outside. The Sun was out, and few puffy white clouds floated about. Misty Lear sat at the table in the far back of the room, Mackwell and Eliza beside her. They were attempting to create another Philosopher's stone as a request from not Fayt, but Sophia Esteed! What she wanted with one, was beyond them... And the Philosopher's stone as we know, is very difficult to create. Mackwell was pacing around the floor, his head in the books, Eliza was tampering with a few chemicals, and Lear was writing down notes while helping Eliza.

Why they were working so hard? Because Sophia promised to pay them alot if they got it done by this evening. Not to mention, if they created the stone, their ranking would rise by alot! Now that the three were working together in both inventions AND daily life, it was easier to earn money. But there was a problem with today... Sophia wanted a philosopher's stone, and she requested it this morning... and the time she wants it complete was tonight.

"Acids... hydrates... solutions... Elemental compounds, what are we missing?" Mackwell began to cram his head. "I remember writing it down the last time we created it... where did I write it? Carbon, ammonia... lime? Maybe some Sodium phosphate?" Mackwell shook his head, "No that's not right... darn..." He flipped through the pages of his book, the one he obviously took from Professor Elena. His eyes scanning the many notes he's recorded...

"You should calm down, Mackwell. We'll remember it soon." Misty Lear said with a small smile. "Afterall, we made it once, we can always make it again."

The busy alchemist shook his head, "But this time we have a schedule, who'd knew she'd want one on such short notice?"

_**...pop...pop...**_

"That just means she has faith in us." Misty Lear replied calmly.

"A little too much faith." Mackwell muttered, running his hand through his silver hair. "My question is what miss Esteed wants with a philosopher's stone to begin with..."

"Have faith, Mackwell..." Lear smiled.

_**...drip...drip...**_

"Need I remind you how long it took us for the last time we made it?" Mackwell asked. He flipped through the pages of his book while he paced around. His mind was in deep concentration as he worked.

"Didn't we make it by accident last time?" She asked.

_**...pop... pop...**_

There was a few chattering in the background as the Inventors worked. Luckily, there weren't_ that_ many loud noises... The Killer Chef was sharpening his butcher knife while singing a song... we don't have to get in detail on _what _he was singing. Mayu was washing some dishes and Rigel was eating some sweet curry they made earlier while plotting on what to cook next. Ever since their little 'incident', they've been working together ever since. Like Mackwell, Lear and Eliza, these three were inseperable work partners. They called themselves, the **_MAD_** _**CHEF ELITES**_! Why they needed a title... well no one knew.

One things for certain, they refused to work without each other. Not even Fayt Leingod, their employer could seperate them. Speaking of Fayt Leingod... no one knew where he was since the incident back in Airyglyph... Oh well. Now the Inventors were working for themselves, with occasional requests from Cliff, Sophia and even Roger S. Huxley.

The chatter in the background was tolerable. Unlike the last time when Roger and Pepitta came to visit... _together_... and then there was the time before that when Rigel, Mayu, Lear, Nel, Mirage and Puffy had to deal with... that pervert Gossam! _**Dun dun dun!** _You can be certain that... an old man died that day...

"Well... if we don't make the schedule we can always ask for an extension." Mackwell sighed. "This may lower our ranking though..."

_**...plop... fizzzz... shzzzzz...**_

"What is that noise?" Mackwell asked looking around.

"Eliza, how's the progress so far?" Misty Lear asked.

_**...fzzzzzzz... BOOOM... **_

There was a small explosion from behind them, both their attention was turned on Eliza. The girl covered her face, and jumped back. "Eek!" She squeaked, the testube she was holding was now beginning to spark. Her chemical solution was on fire! In shock, she dropped it in the rack of other chemicals... the flames began to spread and now multicolored blaze of red, blue, orange, green, purples and even flamingo pink... yes, i repeat, _**FLAMINGO PINK**_ flames. Everyone in the workshop stared at the corner where the multicolored flames began to shoot out.

"It's a fire!" They gasped. "Quick, bring some water!"

The flames began to grow larger and larger, the colors brighter and brighter. Eliza began to panic, as the flames spread faster around the chemical rack, now heading toward the wall. Misty Lear dropped her books and papers, and Mackwell stopped pacing completely.

"Eliza!" They both yelled in unison. The sparsk were now jumping and heading straight toward the little girl. Eliza covered her face with her eyes as she began to scream. Misty Lear quickly pulled her back, behind her securely away from the flames. She even placed her cloak over the small girl. Mackwell swiftly pulled out a crystal vial from his cloak and tossed it in the heart of the burning multicolored flames.

"Cover your eyes!" He commanded, placing his arm over his face. In a flash, the flames slowly died down and disappeared into nothing but a pile of ash, soot and smoldering embers. Only a few flicker of the flames remained. The Alchemist waved his hand to clear the smoke, and the Killer chef hopped off his stool and opened the windows and doors. The smoke left the workshop and out into the cold, clear afternoon sky. A sigh of relief passed through the Inventors.

"Eliza are you ok?" Mackwell asked, he cough a bit as a puff of black smoke came out of his mouth. "That was way too close for comfort..."

"You're not hurt, are you dear?" Lear asked as she placed a hand on Eliza's shoulders. The girl was shivering slightly... never before has her clumsiness caused such a huge fire! She slowly shook her head in reply to Lear.

"N-no... I'm ok..." Eliza replied shaking.

"Well... as long as your not injured." Mackwell sighed, he was covered in a thick layer of soot and ash. Quietly he began to brush it off his clothes and face. He coughed a few more times, more black smoke erupting from each cough.

"Oh no! I'm sorry, now we have nothing." She began to apologize furiously.

"It's ok." Lear smiled, "We weren't getting anywhere much anyway."

Mackwell nodded in reply. It was true... sadly. Normally sundays was an easy day to work, alot of spare time and the workshop was open late too. It was a day to get alot of work done... but this sunday didn't seem like it at all. But then again, never before had a person request a philosopher's stone to be done in less than 12 hours. It was a difficult task, even for the three of them.

"I'm only getting in the way, aren't I?" Eliza asked sadly. Her hand was straightening her skirt nervously. She wore a pretty blue skirt and a matching blue tunic, it was a gift from Misty Lear... they went shopping the day before in Peterny.

Misty Lear was about to oppose but Mackwell got their first. "Don't be silly." Mackwell replied quickly, the work would've been slower if it was only the two of us." The Alchemist was straightening a pile of papers on his desk. "We're even grateful that you could spend the time to do this with us."

"Thank you, Mr. Mackwell..."

"What'd I say about calling me Mister?" Mackwell asked cocking an eye brow.

"Eeep!" Eliza covered her mouth, "I mean Mackwell! Thank you so much!"

"That's better." Mackwell replied.

Misty Lear couldn't help but giggle slightly. Mackwell could be such a softy when he wasn't a schedule obsessed worry-wart. Since the multi-colored fire of doom was no longer plaguring the work facility, the other Inventors continued on with their usual activities. The flame didn't kill them all, luckily... but this was something quite natural. I mean, remember Peterny? You can say they were use to it... except the flames weren't multi-colored and in flamingo pink.

Rigel, who was eating some sweet curry while watching the fire could feel something tasty not only on her tongue, but in her mind as well. The colors, the heat, the passion! This was the sweet taste of...**_ INSPIRATION!_** She began to chuckle evilly while she ate her curry. She was chuckling so much, she accidentally choked on some curry.

"Hehehe... Muehehe... muahahaha... hahaha-gasp!- Hack!-Cough- cough- Now where was I? Oh yeah... muahahaah!" Rigel's face had a hint of evil... The Killer Chef and Mayu were also chuckling together as they saw the colorful _**FLAMES of INSPIRATION**_ grow within them.

"Killer Chef, Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Rigel asked the mad green imp.

"Muehehehe... Muahahaaha... WAHAHAHAHAA!" The Killer Chef laughed maniacally swinging a pan in one hand and a butcher knife in another. "WAHAHAHAH! CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP!"

"Miss Rigel... are you pondering what I'm pondering?" Mayu asked.

"I do believe I do..." Rigel replied eating the last of her sweet curry. "And frankly, the idea is delicious... 100 percent pure Inspiration!"

"WAHAHAHAHA! Delicious little food, chopped together, my sweet? My delicious? My precious?" The Killer Chef began to talk to his butcher knife. "Cut all of them, my pretty... Chop chop chop..."

"It'll be vibrant! A pleasure for the eyes and the stomach! It'll be like nothing we've ever created!"

"It'll be sweet and delicious, you can put cherries and syrup on top!"

"Fenominal?"

"One of a kind!"

"And this ladies and gentleman... will be the revolutionary impact in the Culinary UNIVERSE!"

"What should we call it? It needs a name, for its greatness."

"We shall call it... the **_Mad Chef Elite's_** very first, very best... **_Flaming Flamingo Pink Pot Pie!" _**

Rest assured, it would most deffinitely get them a 99 on their next rating! Feverishly they began their preperations. Pots and plans went flying, stoves were roaring, knives were chopping and the sweet aroma of Success began to float in the air. People... this is the time to be afraid... and very disturbed. I mean with a name like **_FLAMING FLAMINGO POT PIE,_** you know it'll be BIG. I mean, its pink! PINK! The color of EVIL!

Anyway... back to Mackwell and Party.

Eliza began to straighten her outfit some more... but on her shirt, she noticed something. A small dot, no bigger than a pea, green stain... she gasped. "Eek!" She rubbed it furiously to get it off, but that only caused it to spread faster and larger. "Oh no! Oh no! Not this shirt! No!" She couldn't wash it off with water.

"What's wrong?" Mackwell asked.

"My new shirt is ruined!" She felt tears roll down her cheeks, today wasn't going well for her at all! First, her brother caught another fever... so she had to buy him medicine in the morning. When she got to the pharmacist, she found out that she left her purse at home! So she had to run back and get it. She slipped on the snow on her way back, and when she went to work this morning, she slipped in the snow again only to find that she lost her purse altogether. Now she caused a fire, AND stained her new clothes! Eliza began to cry...

Mackwell stared at the shirt, the small green stain. "It's only a stain..." He touched it, "Nothing some soap can't clear."

"B-but this shirt is special!" She cried. She _**tried **_to be her normal bubbly self today during work but everything seemed to go wrong! "I'm so sorry! Miss Lear, Mackwell! I ruined everything!" She began to flail her arms around as she apologized and cried... Mackwell was amazed at her ability to multi task... cause destruction, cry, and apologize all at once. Her flailing began to knock over equipment all over the place. Books toppled out of their bookcases, chairs were falling everywhere, and expensive lab equipment were being tossed about.

Mackwell and Lear began to run around after her, catching all the flying equipment and books that she knocked into. Finally Mackwell seated her on the chair and sighed...

"It's only a shirt. We can always buy you another one, Eliza."

"But- but..." Eliza sniffed.

"Mackwell's right, honey... we can always get you another shirt, no problem."

"Sorry..."

"It's ok." Misty Lear smiled as she raised the girl's chin. "Keep smiling, ok? You look nice today nevertheless, isn't that right Mackwell? A small stain won't tell us otherwise."

"She's right, you look adorable today." Mackwell said with a small smile. For once he wasn't sarcastic and annoyed. Quietly, he began to pick up the books that fell on the floor. "It's ok to have a bad day, Eliza, if you ever need help we'll be happy to assist you. You shouldn't give it a second thought." He placed the books on the table and sighed, "Besides...you always look your best when you smile."

"Really?" Eliza asked, her eyes widening.

"Really." Mackwell answered with a nod.

Misty Lear smiled... Mackwell... was surprisingly good with kids. Maybe its because its the same gentleness he has toward cats? Or maybe its a side of Mackwell that we, the people, rarely ever see? Eliza wiped her tears and hugged Mackwell, who was bent down to pick up the remaining equipment. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you," She then turned to Misty Lear and hugged her around the middle. "Thank you so much!"

The grandfather clock in the Workshop chimed 3:00 p.m. No work was done, but what the heck? Its been 3 hours since lunch time... and they were surprisingly hungry today. Misty Lear grabbed a broom from the corner, "I'll clean up the rest of the mess, Mackwell, how about you take Eliza and get something to eat? All this excitement sure leaves an empty stomach."

"Sure... but dinner is still a few hours off... so..." Mackwell turned to Eliza, "Would Ice cream sound nice?"

Eliza nodded, her pigtails jumping excitedly.

The two washed their hands in the sink as they headed out. Mackwell put a heavier coat over his cloak. Carefully, he helped Eliza put on her coat, and wrapped her skarf around her neck, and lastly, placed the hat over her head. It was very cold outside...

"We'll be back in a few minutes." Mackwell said with a small nod.

Mayu, who was holding a pile of pots, pans and silverware ran past, "Have fun, Mackwell sir." She said as she rushed about, helping the Killer Chef and Rigel prepare their special meal.

"What are our dinner plans for today?" He asked, the scent of food wafting in the air.

"Oh you'll love it! You guys'll be the first people to try out our latest creation!" Mayu said with a smile, "The _**Mad Chef Elite's**_ latest creation of... _**Flaming Flamingo Pink Pot Pie**_-! Ahh!" She accidentally tripped as the pots and pans flew everywhere. There was a loud _**CRASH**_ and then a _**BAM!**_ And then there was a few _**WHAM's**_.

Eliza and Mackwell just stared... **_Flaming Flamingo Pink Pot Pie_**... they didn't even want to ask...

"Ok... good luck with that." Mackwell smiled nervously as they shut the door behind them. Shaking his head in wonder, the two alchemists headed out in the nice winter afternoon.

_**Act II: Insight of a Child**_

Setting: Streets of Aquios

The afternoon was nice, the sun was still shining and the white crisp snow coated the streets of Aquios. Mackwell and Eliza walked down the streets, Aquios always was a beautiful city, but during days like these was it the most stunning. Even the bare trees looked slightly alive when the white frost clinging to its branches. Children were outside playing with the snow, as mothers watched them while talking to their friends. Lately, Mackwell's mad suitors were no longer hounding him... ever since the last incident, when Mackwell was tending to Misty Lear, he hasn't gone out for weeks after his return. And when he did see them, he could only give them cold glares, or he ignored them completely. Atleast Janice Janine sent Misty Lear some get well gifts... as of now, Miss Janice was tending to her sick grandfather.

Eliza walked through the snow, occasionally looking up at Mackwell. She couldn't help but admire his good looks. Not only that, but he was always so calm and cool... she couldn't help but admire him. She even had small crushes on him before... But then again, who doesn't?

Eliza began to shuffle herself through the snow, it was very cold and nice looking. She skipped around the streets with Mackwell behind her. She felt so lucky to even be around him as much as she did. She was too busy thinking about happy things that she didn't realize that suddenly her foot slipped too quickly over the surface of slush and she felt herself toppling backward.

"Wh-whoaa!" She began to flail her arms around. The older Alchemist stretched his hand out and caught her from behind.

"Be careful." Mackwell said, helping her regain her balance. He held her hand to make sure she wouldn't fall again. Eliza felt her face redden with a mixture of embarrassment and awe.

"So Mackwell, what are you planning to get Miss Lear for the Day of Apris?" Eliza asked curiously. She really wanted to know... maybe they would dance together at the ball? Followed by a romantic dinner, perhaps? And what if he proposed to her? They say that if you propose on the Day of Apris, they would receive good fortune! Her eyes sparkled with curiosity and wonder, a diamond ring would be nice...

"Well... I have thought of something." He said rather quietly, slightly taken back by the sparkles in the litte girl's eyes. "Though I don't think she'll like it _that _much... you never know."

"Of course she'll like it!" Eliza replied happily, "Afterall, you two are practically a couple! You might as well get married on the Day of Apris! It'd be so romantic!"

Now it was Mackwell's face that turned red. "D-don't be ridiculous..." Mackwell said, "She and I are... we're just... Eliza, please! We're not what you think... well I'm not really sure what you think but... I would never-... She would never-"

Eliza giggled. "I don't see why not. Misty Lear is so pretty, beautiful even. She has such nice flowing black hair, and sparkling eyes, and she has such a beautiful smile... I'm so envious!"

"Eliza..." Mackwell stared at the small girl.

"And Mackwell is really handsome too... really cool and anyone's dream knight." Eliza said with a small smile, "But the only person fit for Mackwell should be Misty Lear... You guys go together... uhh... like Peanut butter and jelly!"

"Eliza..." Mackwell knelt down looking at her. She smiled and her mitten-hand patted Mackwell on the shoulder. "You may not think it, but you have a certain adorable charm too. I'm sure you'll grow up to be a fine young lady, and all the men would run over to you, too."

"You really think so?" Eliza asked.

"Really." Mackwell said with a smile. "Every handsome young man from far, far Greeton, to Airyglyph would just to see you."

"But not Mackwell, right?" Eliza asked sadly.

"Well... I'm kind of too old. Maybe if I were 10 years younger." He smiled, "Besides you wouldn't want a guy like me. I'm well... insensitive i guess..."

Eliza shook her head furiously, her little pigtails bouncing. "I think you're really cool!"

Mackwell smiled lightly as he placed his hand over her head, patting her. "Thank you." The two headed over to the ice cream parlor, they stared at all the different flavors. Cherry, Cream, Chocolate, Vanilla, Honey, Banana, Strawberry, and much more.

"One chocolate please, One Green Tea honey, and one Vanilla Honey." Mackwell ordered as he looked at the menu. "Hmm... maybe we should order some hot cocoa too?" He asked.

"Ooh cocoa!" Eliza's cheeks were red from the cold. "Cocoa would be nice."

"Very well, One coffee with light sugar, Green tea and 1 cocoa."

The ice cream man nodded and handed them over, "3 cones, and 3 drinks... Thank you and have a nice day." Mackwell paid 50 Fol and they walked back to the workshop.

"Mmm So sweet and cold!" Eliza began to lick her chocolate cone icecream. Laughing as she tasted it. She looked up at Mackwell who was carrying two cones between his fingers on one hand. Since it was cold out, they didn't melt at all. "I didn't know Misty Lear liked Green tea honey... maybe I should try it next time."

"She puts honey in her tea sometimes, So I'm assuming this is what she likes. She has some exotic tastes..."

"Maybe. But then again... i guess her ex... ex..."

"Exotic?"

"Yeah, her exotic...ness... makes her beautiful?" Eliza asked.

"Well... I guess..." Mackwell replied nervously, his cheeks turning slightly red.

When they turned the last corner, they almost froze from the sight... The floor began to rumble and the Workshop's east side was flooded with light of many colors. Flames shot out like fireworks of many colors, blue, red, green, gold, and ... _**FLAMINGO PINK!**_ Mackwell rushed in, handing the two cones to Eliza.

Everyone was running out, as the sparks shot out in every direction. Mackwell reached into his cloak and pulled out another crystal vial, he tossed it inside the flames. Like the first time, the roaring fire and the shooting sparks stopped... Mackwell coughed as the smoke subsided. When the smoke cleared out... he was astonished.

Standing in the middle of the kitchen (or what remained of it), Mayu, Rigel and The Killer Chef held up a tray. Stars in their eyes as tears streamed down, they held it up to the heavens.

"_**EUREKA!**_ BEHOLD THE MAD CHEF ELITE'S LATEST CREATION!"

"Duh, your mad!" Someone yelled in the background.

"Behold... the _**FLAMING FLAMINGO PINK POT PIE**_!"

And like the name stated... it was pink, vibrant in many colors, and flaming. It smelled delicious but... Everyone stared... Mackwell's book (the one that he took from Elena and puts in all his notes) fell out of his hand and on the soft snow before. Misty Lear and Eliza who appeared next to him could only sigh. Misty Lear bent down and picked up the book in the snow...

"Well... what do you know?" Misty Lear smiled nervously as she held up the book to Mackwell. "It's how to make the philosopher's stone..."

"That's wonderful..." Mackwell replied twitching angrily, "Now that would be perfect... if half of the Workshop isn't gone..." He coughed up more smoke, and sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have gotten out of bed this morning..."

**_Flaming Flamingo Pink Pot Pie_**

**_Inventor: Rigel, Killer Chef and Mayu_**

**_Rate: 99_**

**_An odd looking pie of many colors, mainly pink... It is always set ablaze and tastes its best when served hot. When you eat it, you almost feel like a party is in your mouth...or... you wonder who the crazy nutcase of a chef created it._**

"Congratulations! What superior craftsmenship!" Welch replied happily, "We'll give you an increase in your rank but... We'll have to spend your earnings on this pie for repairing the workshop! Thank you!"

"BANZAI!" The three laughed, "We're GENIUSES!"

* * *

Ugh... Ok... My computer freezed on me 4 times! 4 FLIPPING TIMES! I had to rewrite the parts 4 TIMES! It was HORRIBLE! 

Oh well, I hope you all liked this chapter. If you didn't then... (Puts on a protective hard hat) I am prepared for the flying tomatoes.

Hehehe... Flaming Flamingo Pink Pot Pie... how random can you get? I think Vanilla and Meryl's ambitiousness is contagious.


	4. Lack of Time, Lack of thought

**_Eureka! We've done it AGAIN!_**

**_Author: Psychodog a.k.a Krazydog_**

"I know you hate it when I hurt you. When my eyes are set on others rather than you... but I just don't get it... I don't understand. You of all else should know that my heart is set on you alone, you who's been beside me. So all I could say is... why?" -Cliff Fitter

* * *

**_Introduction:_**

Ok, lately I've been in the mood to actually continue this story, And even though my mood is better than usual, doesn't change the fact that this story will be a tragedy/humor fic. Hopefully its nice tragedy, but anyway... you will see alot of odd pairings and plot twists. Anyway, lets get on with the story! Let's hear you scream MACKWELLxLEAR! XD.

**_Characters:_**

**_Steeg_**- A member of Maria's crew on the Diplo. He's good with machinery and guns... he had a title but I forgot what it was. Oh well, I really like Steeg anyway! Steeg is the more down-to-earth type and a bit smarter than Lieber.

_**Lieber-**_ Steeg's younger brother, he too is a member of the Diplo and Quark. Lieber has an obsession with Maria, but always fails or messes up his chances to be with her. He's extremely competitive when it comes to Maria's affection...

_**Marietta- **_One of the members of Quark and the Diplo, very reliable and good in tight spots, Marietta is very dependable. She had hidden feelings for Lieber, but it was unrequitted. She got over him since Lieber is obsessed over Maria.

* * *

_**Chapter IV: Lack of Time, Lack of Thought**_

_Act I: Maria, My LOVE!_

_-Lieber's attempt Number 1-_

_Setting: The Diplo_

Maria Traydor sat in her room in the Diplo. In her hand was a clip board, and in the other was a pen. She tapped the pen thoughtfully on the desk... with the coming of Day of Apris, there wasn't much trouble around. Maria decided to open a Mercenary business on Elicoor... where her team would be hired to maintain the peace. Well not much trouble was occuring much... Aquaria was well defended with Adray, Nel, Clair, Tynave and Farleen on the job... as well as the Aquarian army. Airyglyph, always having a reputation on causing trouble, was no longer as hectic. The Three Brigades were doing a good job... especially with Albel on the job.

A sigh escaped Maria... She didn't mind the peace, but without much work, she felt very... insignificant. Her room was highly decorated with Day of Apris/ Christmas designs. Actually, the ENTIRE ship was. She told them specifically not to enter her room, but Pepitta and Roger, those pesky kids found a way in. She swore to punish those pranksters later.

Sitting in the main control room was Marietta, Steeg and Lieber. Marietta and Steeg was watching a movie on the overview screen... it was a slow day, so they might as well kick back and relax. Since Lieber was too dimwitted to notice Marietta's affection, Steeg decided to step in, instead. The two have been dating ever since. And Lieber? Well he was still... err... hopeless I guess.

"Oh man! How do I make her NOTICE ME? I have to ask her out, this ball is THIS WEEKEND! What do I do? What do I do? What should I wear? How should I ask her? When do I ask her? What're my plans? What're my chances? What do I say?" Lieber rambled on, running around the ship like a madman.

"Yo Einstein!" Steeg called. "How about 'Can you go to the ball with me?'" His older brother said with a smug smirk. "It's not that hard! And will you KEEP IT DOWN? We're trying to WATCH a MOVIE!"

"Screw the movie! What do I say to Maria? What?"

"What a hopeless idiot..." Steeg muttered. "You actually liked him Marietta?" Steeg asked.

Marietta smiled slightly, crossing her arms. "I always thought he was quite humorous..."

"Humorous as a lost babboon maybe." Steeg muttered, "I mean honestly, how hard is it to ask Maria? I mean, I could even ask her without flinching, even though its not really true."

"Well, I always thought Maria had her eyes on Leingod. Or am I wrong? She thinks he's very reliable... and strong." Marietta replied. "But I'm over him anyway. No use chasing someone who doesn't return your feelings. Looks like Lieber has competition with Leingod."

"Yep. So what do you say?" Steeg asked.

"Say about what?" Marietta asked.

"You going to this Christmas ball with me, or what? It's only right that I ask, yeah?" Steeg said smoothly. Unlike his younger brother, Steeg was good at this stuff... that and his way around machinery and guns.

"Of course."

"I GOT IT!" Lieber shouted. "I'll ask her TONIGHT! When she leaves her room. It'll be PERFECT!"

With that said, Lieber shot down the hall of the ship and headed straight to the residential dorms on the ship. He smoothed his hair and straightened his uniform. Shaking excitedly and nervously... this was it, this was it, this was it, I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it, I'll ask her today! Sweat ran down his face as he waited for the door to open. Steeg and Marietta stared at one another... Oh god, the boy is gonna make a FOOL of himself. They better go watch! The two sneaked down the hall following Lieber...

"Oh Maria! Fancy meeting you here." Lieber said to the door, reciting his line in a deep and (cough)masculine(cough) voice. "Me? Oh I'm just Wondering if you'd like to go to the ball with me! I heard it'd be loads of fun!"

"Hey Lieb-!" Steeg began.

"Shut up Steeg, I'm practicing." Lieber snapped. He then continued on with his rambling. "Oh Miss Maria, you look Wonderful today! Did you do something to your hair today? No? But it looks marvelous all the same!"

"But Lieber that's not-" Steeg said again.

"Hey, didn't I say shut up? I could do this on my own, STEEG!" Lieber yelled. "Jeez, this is my one shot and I'm NOT going to mess it up! I get it, you're JEALOUS aren't you? Well too bad! Maria is MINE!"

"Lieber will you shut up for one second-!" Steeg said again.

"NO WAY! You ALWAYS get everything big brother!" Lieber said. "Always the first dibs on everything, well HA-HA! Now I'm getting my first shot! now Outta my way!"

"Don't say I didn't warn you..."

"This is MY CHANCE!" The door swung open, and Lieber closed his eyes with a triumphant grin spoke outloud. "You look MARVELOUS today, How about you and I go to the Day of Apris Ball with me? I heard it'll be fun! What do you say? How about a date? My... Lovely..." His face grew pale as he opened his eyes... "Marie... A... a...? A... a... AHHHH!"

In his face... was a body filled with BULGING and **MANLY **muscles. The muscles were all tattooed, and the grinning face of Adray appeared. "Hold yer horses!" Adray grabbed Lieber before he could run away. "My, I didn't know you young'uns were so eager to use this here, little boy's room! If you needed to go so bad, you coulda just knocked instead of shoutin and fighting! Uncle Adray shares with the young ones!"

Steeg groaned and massaged his brow with his hand... "You wouldn't let me warn you! That's not MARIA's room, that's the BATHROOM." Marietta's face was bright red as she hid her giggles...

"Now what was that there proposal? Something about a date at the Day of Apris ball?" Adray asked, nudging his bulging and **MANLY **muscles at Lieber. "Sorry lad, I don't Swing that way, since I'm married and all. But I'd be happy to hook you up with some nice young Aquarian ladies if you like!"

Lieber was deathly pale... his tongue sticking out like that of a dog... His brother waved his hand in front of Lieber's face... no one home. "Looks like the Shock got him. Poor idiot. He's unconscious on his feet."

"Hey there? What's the matter young one?" Adray asked, nudging once more. Lieber fell one the ground... tears in his eyes. Another failure.

The Moral of today's story? Always listen to Steeg... he knows what he's talking about.__

___Act II: Strange Occurances on Strange Nights _

_Setting: Trading town of Peterny_

The snow was falling down heavily, it's been like this for a while now, but then again what did you expect? It WAS winter on Elicoor... All along the streets you could hear people singing, kids laughing as they played in the snow, busy mothers preparing warm dinner for their families and the occasional old men laughing over a cup of beer. Winter may be cold, but it was also very nice. The snow was white, and even though it was cold... the blanket of frost was beautiful. The Ice hanging on the glass windows looked like precious diamonds made by mother nature every end of the year... as if congratulating everyone for another year of blessing.

Cliff wish he could sing, but he couldn't. His voice felt like screaming, not whistle a single tune. Cliff wished he could play in the snow... but his snowball fight buddy ever since they were kids... was gone. Even if he did throw a snowball, she wouldn't throw it back at him. He would go to the Diplo, and even if she DID prepare a meal for him, he couldn't look at her face. He thought about inviting his pals for a drink at the pub, but Gusto was one of his favorite drinking buddies... and just the thought of him being in front of him (Even though they were good friends), would cause him to be an angry drunk... But then again, he thought about inviting Adray... err... we'll toss that idea out of the window for now.

The Klausian was confused. Gusto was his good friend, and Mirage was his good friend also... but why did it make him so angry that they were going to the ball together? Was it THAT bad? He should be happy! Cliff always flirted with other women, so what was so bad about Mirage seeing other guys? Let alone the fact that Gusto was a swell guy. Was Cliff THAT jealous? I mean, Mirage was beautiful... but like always, there was other fish in the sea. Maybe he overreacted.

"Gah!" Cliff muttered, he began to run his hands through his hair rapidly making it a complete mess. "I'm such an IDIOT! Jeez, I knew I was a jerk, but COME ON!" He began yelling loudly in the empty streets. "GIVE ME A DAMN BREAK!" Cliff yelled, "I'm an IDIOT I know! I already know!"

The Snow that coated the city looked more grey than white... and the ice that clung from the glass was more like coal than diamonds. And the cold winter air reminded him of the cold chill he felt in his heart... His world froze over so quickly. The snow was piling down heavily, and the lamp posts on the streets let off a nice glow that reflected off the sparkling snow. The skies were dark.

Angrily, he punched a lamp post which quickly bent over out of shape. The lights flickered in impact. He took a DEEP breath... and exhaled. With it, he unleashed his fist of fury on the pole... the loud clanging echoing loudly. "It's okay..." He reassured to himself when he was done. The Klausian forced himself to calm down... and continued down the streets, trudging through the snow. The streets were empty, the skies were dark, the white snow drifting down slow and heavy. It was nice but also lonely. From the other end of the street, he saw a man... he was walking around with a scroll of paper in his hand and a pile of books under his other arm and in his satchel. He was so absorbed into the picture on the rolled up piece of parchment, that he didn't even watch where he was going.

"OOF!" Cliff snapped out from his sulking, but the man was flung back completely. He was on the floor, he wore a black robe with a large hood over his head. His face was pale, dark eyes... but very light colored hair. The man groaned...

"Oh, sorry, My bad." Cliff said scratching his head apologetically. He held his hand up to help the man, but the man merely slapped his hand away. All of his books were scattered on the road, and everything in his bag spilled out. He began to scurry around picking them up and putting them back in his bag.

"Watch where your going you big Oaf!" The man scowled.

"I said, my bad." Cliff said again flinching slightly... talk about rude. It was just an accident. Cliff helped him pick up some of the books, they were very thick, and very large. Then, both of them reached over for the parchment on the floor. It was the same one the man was so absorbed in looking at. Cliff paused... the face was so familiar... pale skin, dark hair, distant gaze, that mistic appearance. The stranger snatched the parchment and scowled once more.

"I'm kind of busy... and in a hurry, now if you don't mind-"

"Oh yeah..." Cliff said handing the guy his books back. "Sorry again..."

The man took his books, and flung his hood back over his hair. It was white... almost a silverish. Short, but shaggy and messy... compared to his hair, the snow looked grey almost. The man had a very stern face... tough almost. Yet not tough like Gusto's and Cliff's it also had a very youthful appearance, as if it maintained the charms of a young man. "Hmph, since we did bump into each other, I might as well ask." The man muttered, he placed his bag over his shoulder and looked at Cliff with his dark eyes. "Do you happen to know where the Inventor's guild is?"

"The Inventor's guild? Yeah of course I do." Cliff answered. "I'm a part of it myself-"

"Ah- ah." The man said raising his hand, "I never asked if you were in it."

"Err... sorry...?" Cliff said, slightly ticked off, This guy has some nerve-!

"I just want to know where it is." The man said with a smug smirk on his face, "There's someone I'm looking for, and I heard that I can find that certain person if I joined."

"Well your in the right city. Follow that street over there." Cliff said pointing down the street he just came from, "Go down that street and near that alley you'll see it. It's across from the workshop. You'll find it there."

The man gave a slight bow, "Thank you for your assistance." He said in an almost polite matter.

"No prob." Cliff said, as the man continued down the street. He waved his hand... "The jerk..." He muttered under his breath. "What the hell died and bit HIM in the rear? A nest full of lava crabs?"

With another deep sigh, Cliff placed his hands in his pocket... the snow was slowly holding up, and the snow on the ground was easily midway to his knees. He also had a layer of snow on his head and back from his sulking... he shook his body, the snow flying out like a water on a recently washed dog. "Now it's getting chilly..." He turned around and headed back to Peterny Center Square, there he took another turn down one of the streets and was in front of his favorite pubs. But before he entered, he peered through the windows to see if anyone was there... no one. There was no Gusto in sight... Cliff assumed he was probably back in the workshop or something. The Klausian opened the door and peered once more down the street...

"Wait a second... that man said he was looking for someone... so...?" He then began to think (something he did not do often)... then it clicked. "That woman on the paper... I could've sworn I saw her before! Then that guy must be looking for her." He began to ponder the thought but a certain scowl made him jump up from shock. It was so surprising that Cliff jumped, raising his fists.

"WORM!" The surprising voice scowled randomly.

Cliff's heart began to beat wildly, but then it slowed... when he saw a very familiar Swordsman. Albel Nox!

"Albel...? What the hell are you doing here?" Cliff asked gasping for breath.

"Why the hell do you care, worm? What I do is none of your business!" Albel snarled. His face was red and flushed... in his clawed hand was a large pint of steaming beer. He slammed the mug down, whiping his mouth from the froth of the warm drink. "Bah! I thought I'd escape all morons and annoying fools! But you're all like roaches!"

"You shouldn't be so pessimistic, Albel." Cliff said with a chuckle, "You're obviously drunk."

"Did I say you can speak, you big OAF?" Albel snarled.

"Yeah, yeah." Cliff slipped into the seat next to him at the counter. He snapped his fingers as the bartender served him his usual. The Bar was covered in Day of Apris decorations, there was shimmering banners hanging from the ceilings, and ribbons hanging from the Animal trophies and Dragon trophies hanging on the wall. The Fireplace was burning brightly, enveloping the pub in warmth. Men chatted merrily, soldiers laughing as they drank.

"Really, Albel. What's bugging you?" Cliff asked.

"Didn't I say none of yer business?" Albel scowled once more. He took a deep drink from his mug and then sighed. "You don't look so good yourself, fool! What happened to you? Lost all yer money again at the gambling joint?"

"Not this time." Cliff said drinking from his mug. He had much higher tolerance than Albel... thank god too.

"DAMN THAT WOMAN!" Albel roared, he grabbed his sworn and began to swing it around randomly in the air. "I swear! She thinks she can make a fool of ME? Albel NOX?"

"What'd you do to Nel, anyway?" Cliff asked, "It was probably your fault to begin with."

"Bah! Was NOT! She started it!" Albel spat, He was so furious, he tossed the empty mug at the wall, "GIMME ANOTHER DRINK!"

"Yes, Lord Nox." The Bartender said fetching two more mugs for his favorite customers. "Will Lord Gusto not be attending?"

"Nah." Cliff said. "Thanks, Barkeep." The Klausian then turned to Albel once more, "How many drinks have you had? You know drinking too much at once is bad for your- WAH!" The Swordsman grabbed The Mug and chugged it down...

"This is ONLY My 13th MUG!" Albel hissed.

"Err... Albel... you can barely take 5, now your drinking 13? Is your skirt on too tight?"

"NOT A BLOODY SKIRT!" Albel snapped.

"Right... Anyway..."

"That woman! She gets all pissed off at me because I told her I wouldn't go to the bloody party! If Woltar can't convince me, how in bloody heavens would she be able to? HUH? A swordsman does not attend a BALL! I have better things to do!" Albel took another deep drink and let off a slight burp. "Then she gets all offended and saying I insulted her country and pride! And then she says I didn't care about the alliance, and Apris! Who the hell cares about APRIS? She then starts to cry and complain and-!"

"Whoa- whoa- whoa, back up, pause! REWIND!" Cliff gasped, "Nel CRIED?" He was dumbstruck, Nel was the strongest woman he ever met (aside from Mirage). She crying was like ALBEL attending a TEA PARTY in a female SWIMSUIT. Disturbing... and completely unnatural. Oh wait, maybe Albel in a swimsuit wasn't THAT absurd... but Cliff had to admit, THAT image was DISTURBING.

"She had small tears in her eyes, is all." Albel muttered, "She then gets all pissed and Slaps me in the face."

"Wow, can't say you didn't deserve that. Though I though she'd stab you rather than smack you." Cliff muttered. "Albel Nox, No sensitivity WHAT-SO-EVER."

"Bah, Sensitivity is for fools and weaklings." Albel replied sourly.

"Ah, but sensitivity also gets the ladies."

"Hmph, I don't want to hear women tips from you!" Albel slammed a small sack of fol on the table. "Barkeep! I'm borrowing a room!"

Albel began muttering curses as he climbed up to an available room upstairs... swinging his sword around like a roaring drunk... oh wait, he WAS a Roaring drunk. Cliff drained the last of his mug of beer and dropped his share of fol on the table, the barkeep shook his head.

"No need, Fitter. Your already paid for." The Barkeeper said. "Relax and get home, will ya?"

"Really? By who?" Cliff asked.

"Not sure, it was paid anonymously. You have some good friends out there, boy."

Cliff said his goodbyes and headed down the street once more... I guess now he had to go back home to the Diplo. Either that, or go to Aquios Castle... err... he had 6 mugs and not even tipsy. Go figures. The streets were still empty... and Cliff hung his head sadly. Today was just... sour. Maybe drinking with Albel was not such a good idea... he trudged through the snow... tired, and confused. Suddenly, there was a soft crunch of disturbed snow and a figure stood at the nearby lamp post.

"I knew you'd be here." The voice said.

"Huh...?" Cliff raised his head slowly and standing below that lamp post was none other than Mirage Koas. She held an umbrella over her head as she smiled. She had fuzzy earmuffs over her ears, and underneath that light she looked stunning as ever. "Mirage!"

She smiled, "Hey Cliff." She put the umbrella in Cliff's hand and gave him a pat in the back.

"How'd you know I'd be here?" Cliff asked.

"Gusto told me." Mirage replied.

"Oh..." Cliff said a bit sourly.

"Come on Cliff, that's so unlike you." Mirage said taking his hand. "I didn't think you'd get THIS jealous."

Cliff's face turned red. "I'm NOT jealous!"

"Okay." Mirage picked up a handful of snow and chucked it at Cliff's head. She giggled, "Remember, you never did beat me at a snowball fight. Now come on Cliff, where's the impulsive, pervert I love so much?"

"Hmm... I guess its ok if you go to the ball with Gusto... under one condition." Cliff said pointing his finger at her.

'Really? and what's that?" Mirage asked perplexedl.

"Tomorrow, you, me, snowball fight. Rematch, 1-on-1. This time, I will be the victor! You may beat me at Arm wrestling, thumb wrestling, football, kick boxing, Tag football, volleyball, and dodge ball, but I WILL WIN This time!" Cliff laughed triumphantly.

A mischievous grin spread across Mirage's face. "Oh? Is that a challenge?" A smile appeared on her beautiful face, "Your on, Cliff Fitter, You are so ON!"

___**Fin**_

___For now... hehehe..._

___

* * *

Agh! Okay this chapter had VERY little to do with the inventors, but I love SteegxMarietta so much so I HAD to put it. And there's no real SteegxMarietta without a Clumsy Lieber! Poor Lieber! Sorry! Lotsa CliffxMirage tho! For those who like that pairing... also we meet that mysterious stranger who wants to be an inventor! For those of you who can guess what's gonna happen XD. _

___ Next Chapter is gonna be ALL about the Day of Apris. It's finally here! MackwellxMistylear Tragedy here we come! Sorry, for the REALLY late update and the cruddy chapter! I'll update soon, I swear! Just don't lose your Mistywell LOVE! PLEASE! _

___MISTYWELL NEEDS LOVE!  
_


	5. The big Switch!

**_Eureka! We've done it AGAIN!_**  
_Author: Psychodog (Well the last time I checked anyway)_

"Hmph, Day of Apris, huh? I don't believe in such rubbish. Relationship? Religion? Red-haired Aquarians? No Thank you." -Albel Nox

Disclaimer: (Yawn) Scroll back to the other pages. You'll find it somewhere. Unless... your BLIND? ARE YOU? Omg! How are you reading this Fanfic? ALIENS! YAY! (?)

**_Characters:_**

Adray Lasbard- The father of Claire Lasbard. Very manly, he was once considered the greatest warrior of Aquaria (Crimson Blade), being good with a sword AND Symbology. Now in old age, he's still energetic as ever, hunting for a man for his daughter. To Nel, he is like a uncle. One of the least favored Star Ocean characters sadly. (Though I LOVE Adray!)

Claire Lasbard- Nel's best friend, a high ranking warrior. She's very calm and cool, always organized. She is stationed in Arias... Though she may handle war well, her father is a whole DIFFERENT story.

Sophia Esteed- A young earthling and Fayt's childhood friend. She's been acting PRETTY shady in the fanfic. Like why isn't she with Fayt? And Why hasn't Fayt come back from... the "incident". Could she be in on it too? Maybe...

**_Chapter V: The Big Switch_**

**Act I: Grudges**

_Setting: Arias Manor_

Claire sighed... somewhat disappointedly... here was her best friend Nel. Sitting upon a velvet sofa, flipping her dagger between her fingers in an angered manner. Claire even hoped Tynave and Farleen, her two favorite subordinates could cheer her up. Well... It didn't happen. Whatever occured DEFFINITELY pissed her off. She had the death glare... Anyone who entered the room, she threw her dagger at them. As if it was ALBEL who entered the room. Claire merely watched... she couldn't do much. I mean who could blame that Albel Nox...was...well... Albel Nox! All Nel ever did now was mope around, stabbing her dagger on everything that moved. People included. She already attempted to stab numerous flies, some rodents, Adray, Roger (not intentionally), Gossam (well, even when she ISN'T angry, she'd stab him). , 2 Stray cats and a few other people not worth mentioning. Wow, heartbreak is rather... violent. And Like Cliff said... "Scar-ee". Adray peeked from over his daughter's shoulder.

"Is Nel still scary?" He asked meekly.

"Yes, Father. She's still scary." Clair replied with a sigh. "Poor Nel... Albel struck her most weak spot."

Adray looked at her quizzically. "Like what? Her funny bone?"

"No father, her PRIDE. Her loyalty in her kingdom, her code, in APRIS!" That silenced Adray up, He made the typical "ouch, Ooooh" face. Yep... Nel was fiercely loyal, her pride was most likely shattered... Suddenly, a fuzzy head popped up from underneath the peeking Claire and Adray. It had fuzzy ears, a helmet, and something that resembled much like whiskers. Clair felt something tickle her chin, she looked down... It had... a TAIL? She jumped back, gasping, and bumping into her father. Adray broke into a grin.

"Well!" Adray said with a chuckle. "If it ain't Roger S. Huxley! How ya doin'?"

"That's my name! Don't wear it out! I'm doing great, by the way!" Roger replied smugly. "What'cha guys lookin' at?" Roger asked curiously.

"Nel." They both said at the same time.

"Oh yeah." His tail began to rock back and forth. "That Albel knows nothin' about girls! He's a sorry excuse for a ma-" Claire and Adray covered his mouth immediately, their eyes shifted back and forth, making sure no one heard the menodix. Claire sighed... coast was clear.

"Shhh... if Albel hears ya, that wouldn't be good. You know how defensive he is with insults." Adray whispered to Roger. "And I wouldn't talk about Albel in front o' Nel. She'd flip out if she heard ya. Or... she'd probably stab you in the tail with her daggers and hang you on the wall." Roger's face turned pale... he then grabbed his tail, protecting it.

"Not my tail! This is the fluffiest tail around! The girls DIG the tail!"

"Hey, excuse me." A voice said from behind them. All three of em jumped in surprise. Standing before them was a tall stranger... with large muscular arms, and so many bruises on his face that they had to squint to figure out who it was.

"Dear Apris!" Claire gasped, her hand over her mouth.

"Whoa! What the heck happened to yer Face?" Adray asked with disbelief.

"Wow... talk about extreme make-over." Roger said. "That's... wow."

"Shut up and tell me where Nel is." The voice said impatiently. "It's kinda important." All three of them pointed to the room they were just peaking in.

-----------------

Nel Zelpher, Crimson blade and a warrior of Aquaria sat on the velvet sofa. Her chin rested on the palm of her left hand, and flipping the dagger in her right. Her elbow was propped on her knee. Every 10 minutes or so, she'd mutter curses at Albel, sigh, and return to sulking. The room was dimly lit, the only source of light was the fire place which was set ablaze. It was nice... the warmth was quite soothing... Especially in this winter season. Finally, Nel sighed... _that jerk! How dare he insult Apris!_ It was one thing to say vulgar insults to her, but to the day of Apris ball? He might as well scream blasphemy to Aquaria, to her queen! She sighed again... flipping her dagger around her hand skillfully. She wouldn't mind stabbing her knife in Albel's skull, but that wouldn't be good for Airyglyph and Aquaria alike. So she dropped that idea... She could unleash a swarm of baby dragons in Albel's bed! But... chances are, they'd burn down the house with him.

Maybe pulling a prank wasn't the nicest thing... of course she could always hire Roger to do the job for her. The critter was crafty... cunning... and knows the best ways to annoy EVERYBODY. He'd probably stuff duck-duck bombs in Albel's shower, or switch Albel's plate with Repulsive Lumps! Yep... Roger never runs out of ideas. Hmm... perhaps she could let him 'Flying Torpedo' Albel in the back-side while wearing the shark helm? Oh! Oh! How about planting land mines under Albel's seat? The list of mass mischief goes on...

Nel then realized... despite the fact that Albel was a jerk...and no matter how much she wanted revenge... she just couldn't. Suddenly, the blade in her hand flipped the wrong way and cut her across the finger. She winced slightly and watched as the blood slipped from the small cut. Ouch... for something so small like a cut, it sure hurt. The Crimson blade sighed and leaned back on the sofa... no point in worrying. Overreacting, much? Maybe.

**_Knock Knock_**

Nel merely shifted on the sofa. Attempting to ignore the door.

**_Knock Knock Knock!_**

Hmm... perhaps she was being too hard on herself. Also threatening her friends wasn't very nice. They just wanted to help. Even Roger was expressing his concern in the most innocent way possible. She the groaned... it was probably Claire. Claire was always worried about her... "Claire, what do you want?" She asked. "It better be important or-" The door creaked open and a head popped in. Blonde hair, sharp eyes, tattoo around the neck. It was Cliff! Except... he had huge red bruises on his face.

"Close," Cliff said with a grin, "But I'm Cliff, not Claire."

Nel sat up, ready to throw her dagger at him, or kick him out of the room but she gasped. "Holy Apris! What happened to your face Cliff?" She asked. Cliff Fittir, the Tough Pure blooded Klausian had bruises on his face as red as tomatoes and as big as grapefruits. He grinned a bit... he also had slight frost bite around the ears. "You look like you fell of a mountain, eaten by a dragon, spit out, and pelted repeatedly with a Hauler!" She rushed up, taking a handkerchief and whiping the blood off his face. He winced a bit... ouch, it stung. "Scratch that... pelted with 20 Haulers is more like it... These look pretty nasty."

"Ahh nothin' really. It was just a nice... peaceful... non-agressive... Snowball fight." Cliff said with a grin.

"You got these... from a snow ball fight? A Snowball fight..." Nel hesitated... what the hell were they throwing? Boulders? Haulers? ADRAY? "Snowball fight with who?" Nel asked. "With the abominable snowman?"

"Mirage, actually. Pretty close again." How the abominable snowman is related to Mirage... well only Cliff knew the answer. The Klausian then snapped his fingers, "Dang! I was so close to winning too! So very close! It was 100 for me, 125 for Mirage."

Nel rolled her eyes... right... as if he could beat Mirage in that. Mirage was tough... she knew that. "Be still." She ordered, carefully using a Healing spell. Warmth appeared at her fingertips as runes glowed... Cliff's bruises eased slightly, but he was still pretty scratched up. "Ugh, you really shouldn't play so rough. Men." She muttered.

Cliff shrugged... "That's why I'm so lucky to have someone as reliable as you-Ouch! Not so tight." Nel bandaged Cliff's face, since some of the cuts were way too big for her heal spell to restore completely. It would probably leave scars... but then again, with vitality of a klausian, and the strength of... well who knows how many dragons, Cliff would be fine.

"I really don't need your smooth talking, Cliff." Nel slapped on another bandaid.

"I'm not!" Cliff said in protest. "Ouch! Don't slap that so hard." He then sighed... "Hey Nel, mind accompanying me to the Apris Ball?" He asked.

Nel froze... wow... that was pretty blunt and straightforward... even for Cliff. Normally, he'd smooth talk his way with the ladies, Nel was no exception. She was about to slap on another band-aid but managed to stop herself. She was rather speechless too...

"You knew about Mirage askin' out Gusto. And I'll understand that..." He rubbed his cheek, "I learned that from the snowball fight... ouch... Mirage is one chick you can't hold an iron grip on... ooh. But you know... since Albel and you got in that fight, I might as well ask, right? I mean, what do I got to lose?"

"How'd you know about me and Albel fighting?" Nel asked.

"A Hunch?"

"Cliff... I'm serious."

"Hello? You two fight like Cats and Dogs! Or worse! You guys fight like... uhh... Albel and Nel! That speaks for itself. Besides... after 13 drinks, Albel couldn't keep his mouth to himself." Cliff explained. Nel merely nodded...

"You're not just asking me out cuz I'm a so called 'hot babe', are you?" Nel asked suspiciously. "I'm not THAT easy..."

Cliff shook his head in protest. "Of Course not. Come on, I know you better than that! After all this time, do you honestly believe I would ask you out for something shallow and insensitive like that?" The Crimson blade merely crossed her arm... her eyes sharpened on him.

"Whoa- Whoa! Fine, it's just a small date. Besides... if you want, we'll go as friends. Friends, I swear!"

Nel thought for a moment... Cliff wasn't that bad of a guy. A bit rough, and a tad-bit thick headed... but not a bad guy. If he was serious, a nice relationship could come out of it. However... she still had to weigh her options. Well Albel wouldn't apologize... he was too stubborn. He wouldn't apologize this YEAR anyway. So that was out. What did she have to lose? They were both date-less so they might as well do the next best thing. She sighed... and shook his hand in agreement.

"Deal. But only as friends."

**_Act II: Suspicious, Suspicious..._**

_Setting: Trading Town of Peterny Central Square_

Albel the Wicked, Captain of the Black Brigade walked down the streets of Peterny. Now that he wasn't arguing about Zelpher, and got over that bloody hangover, he decided to do something productive. Crushing maggots? Not this time! Rather, he decided to head to Kirlsa to meet up with Woltar. The 'rotten old man' would probably coerce him to go to the day of Apris Ball... that was like a no-duh. Ever since the war ended, Arias is restored to its former glory, and the two have decided on peace... Everyone was to attend the day of Apris Ball. Airyglyphians and Aquarian alike. This meant... Albel included. His name was SPECIFICALLY written by Arzei in his invitation letter... it was one thing when Woltar made him go, but Arzei was a whole new battlefield. No arguing with his king...

He passed by a few Inventors on his way across the town... most of them were either _A) Preparing for the Ball, or B) Working as much as possible before the ball._ Albel muttered something vulgar under his breath... why everyone was so eager to go to a bloody ball, was beyond him. He was about to purchase some "necessities" for the trip to Kirlsa, but something caught his eye. It was lying on the ground behind a flower cart... and it was pink. At first he thought it was a dropped basket of pink flowers... but the person selling it was selling on BLUE and WHITE flowers for the day of Apris ball. Also, the same thing ran through his head...

Whatever it was, it was very pink...

Albel wasn't very fond of pink...

Whatever it was, it was pink, lying on the ground, and appeared to be breathing. He jabbed it with the handle of his blade. The thing merely groaned in protest, swatting the blade away. Albel knelt down and poked it with his claw. The thing groaned once more and swatted his claw. Finally he poked it hard with his claw. Like an animal, it leaped in the air. "Ouch! Oww! Owww!" It had a very feminine voice. Albel watched... it was rather interesting. Not everyday you find roadkill lying around. "What was that for?" The "roadkill" asked.

"What're you lying on the floor, fool? Want to become maggot food, do you? If that's the case, I'd be happy to assist!" Albel hissed... annoyed.

"Watch who you're poking! It's rude!" She yelled.

"You're Leingod's friend." Albel said after peering at her face. "That Esteed girl." It was Sophia! He hardly recognized her... the girl's hair was quite messy, and her face was rather dirty. She also looked pretty tired... he was going to make an assumption that she collapsed from exhaustion or something... He stood up, dusting off his clothes.

"You're Albel." Sophia said.

"Hmph, How nice, we found out that you use those large eyes for MORE than just to look pretty." Albel replied sarcastically.

"Sorry..." Now that she thought about it... she hasn't talked to him much... he was very... uhh... distant? reclusive? scary? grumpy? cold? All of the above? Yep... she didn't expect the person to find her was Albel Nox. What're the chances? Oh well, what the heck? "So Albel... errr... what're you doing here?" She asked.

"Shouldn't that be my question?" Albel asked.

"Right..." Sophia said with a happy-go-lucky grin. "I was just so overly exhausted running around everywhere that I accidentally collapsed!"

"And you're smiling about that...?" Albel asked.

"Oh, sorry. Everything's been so hectic lately that I... well nevermind. Now I have to find someone to go to that ball with. Or else I'll blow my cover." Sophia paced around the flower cart back and forth... back and forth... occasionally she'd stop and would shift her eyes back and forth almost paranoid-like. Then continued back and forth... Soon speeding up that Albel got tired of watching her. Sophia muttered a bunch of stuff that Albel didn't understand and chose to ignore. However he noticed a group of female aquarian soldiers... Suddenly his blood began to boil...

"_How dare you! I hope- I hope you have the worst time of your life ALBEL NOX! Because consider us OVER!"_ Nel's voice yelled in his head. A flash back of the night before.

_"Oh yeah?"_ Albel shouted back._ "We were never anything to begin with, MAGGOT!"_

_"FINE WITH ME!"_ Nel yelled as they fought in the middle of the street. Daggers flew and Swords clashed. Suddenly something unexpected happened. Nel slapped him across the face with all the force she could muster. "_Just you watch Nox! I WONT be seeing YOU at the Ball! Because an INSENSITIVE jerk like you won't EVER find a date!"_

Ooh... Low blow. Albel's claw began to shake in violent anger. However he held it back. Call him insensitive did she? He'll show her! He swallowed hard... Oh what the heck? He might as well spill it.

"Esteed-maggot- I mean... Sophia." Albel blurted out.

"And then I have to plan the complete obli- Yes Albel? Did you say something?" Sophia asked. She stopped pacing and looked at the swordsman.

"Since you need someone to go with you, how about I take you to that bloody- I mean... Ball this weekend?" Albel asked. He looked down at his feet... Sophia was as good as any other girl in Elicoor. They all looked the same to him, really. Delicate, weak things that needed to be protected... or killed. One or the other. Nel was the only girl that he could actually think of that was not only bold and powerful... but attractive as well. Sophia was... cute. Delicate. But Cute. Just like the rest. There was nothing WRONG with cute girls... unless of course they make him go shopping. If that's the case... the street would be covered in blood.

"Of course!" Sophia said excitedly. "This will be PERFECT! Then my plan will be- I mean uhh... I'd be happy to go with you to the ball." She gave an innocent smile. "Thanks Albel your a life saver!" She hugged him around the neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek, making Albel's face turn red. He's never that close with women... let alone them kissing him. Not to mention it was kind of embarrassing for Albel the WICKED to be kissed in the middle of a crowded Peterny STREET. His reputation would go down the drain and appear on every tabloid in the world! He rubbed his cheek hard and glared.

"Hey wait a sec-" Albel began staring at her suspiciously. "That was way too quick of a reply... what about Leingod, eh?"

"Leingod, WHO?"

She then gave the scariest looking evil look ever. It was so... weird to see it on a girl's face that Albel almost drew out his blade. Her evilness would make Albel proud... if he wasn't totally freaked out about it first! Suddenly the darkness disappeared and she waved sweetly to Albel. "See you at the Ball then... and DON'T BE LATE!" Albel merely stared as she ran off... that last statement was... disturbing. What was this plan? And what's up with the bubbly, super happy and sweet Sophia that use to make him barf? He stood there thinking... Suspicious... VERY suspicious...

_To be continued!_

* * *

Short chapter I know. D Also barely any inventors AGAIN. This would be good news for Sophia/Albel fans... but... I wonder what Sophia is planning? (Sophia appears with a knife in hand)

"OMG SOPHIA!" -Psychodog

"I'm not planning ANYTHING. Isn't that RIGHT?" -Sophia

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

After not writing for a long time I decided to come back slowly. I dont have much time since I go to Art academy for 3 hours, 4 days a week, Plus clubs at school, but maybe with a bit more effort I could finish this story. Sorry for the long wait... It's just... difficult, ya know?

By the way, in Star Ocean 3 I found out how to beat the game SUPER fast. And OMG Roger S. Huxley ROCKS!

1. Play the game normally. (Galaxy mode/ Universe mode) Try to save all your money until you reach Peterny.

2. When you reach Peterny attempt to invent as much as possible.

3. Accept Roger's request in Duggus forest.

4. After go to Suferio to recruit Roger permanently.

5. Go to Peterny and Smith using Cliff, Fayt and Roger. Use 500-600 Fol and you'll make the Shark Helm. Save just in case! SO if you run out of money you could just load and try again!

6. Equip Roger with Shark Helm and his attacks will be super strong. (Even if his level is crap)

7. Once he learns Flying Torpedo, the rest of the game is a cake walk. Equip Flying torpedo on Long range Circle button. (you might want to use him as ur main fighter)

8. Also with a high crafting rating use him! Try to make a badge of Footwork and equip two of them on Roger for Maximum OWNAGE.

9. Hopefully in Duggus forest you picked up some Regeneration Symbol thing a majigies. Equip one on Adray. This will make him almost unlimited on MP, and if you ever run low, just stand still in battle with Adray and watch him recover!

10. When you go to the Shrine of Kaddan, fight Vendeen soldiers for a LONG time. Not only will you level up easily, but the Vendeen can barely hurt roger! (Too short!) Also the Shark helm could kill them with regular attacks, (EVEN better when they are clustered together!) I'd suggest you get Adray, since he'll be a main support character. With a party of Adray, Roger and Cliff you'll be pretty much unstoppable for the first half of the game. Also the flying armor dudes weilding two swords will be killed by 1 Flying Torpedo due to MP kill. Shrine of Kaddan is the best place to increase the Bonus gauge chains. Also fight the Wizard dudes. With a high chain of Bonus Gauge, you can easily obtain a Scholar's bracelet. Equip one on Adray and save two for Sophia!

11. In the Ruins of Barr, or the Mosel Ruins, have fun kicking Minotaurs around. One Flying Torpedo will own them. Also do the scene with Roger to get him as your 7th Member.

12. When you leave Elicoor, you'd probably Love Sophia since she'll replace Adray. (You gotta love Symbologists) Give her either 2 Scholar's bracelet and or one Scholar bracelet and 1 Regeneration symbol.

13. To get battle trophies, hopefully Balbados the inventor has created a special equip that will increase EXP gain by 10 percent. Equip that on sophia and wait for triple exp bonus. On the moon base fight the ground walking robots (Or a giant spider bot, maybe two) and She can easily gain Over 10 levels in one battle. You can do the same for Pepitta as well.

14. With Pepitta don't forget to go to the storage place for free equips!


End file.
